


Oh How Strange

by LaLainaJ



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Crack, Magical Shenanigans, Post Season 6, Teamwork, Werewolf Puppy!Klaus, Witch Curses, klarolineauweek
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-21
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-04-27 11:55:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5047558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaLainaJ/pseuds/LaLainaJ
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Enzo strolled into Caroline's apartment - temporarily dead vampire over one shoulder, squirming ball of puppy fluff under his other arm - she was only slightly concerned. Then Rebekah called, with news that was both crazy and alarming. </p><p>Or: The Adventures of Caroline and Werewolfpuppy Klaus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Curiouser and Curiouser

**oh how strange**

**(Prompt from an anon:** **Would you do a werewolf! puppy Klaus AU? Where Klaus is spelled into turning into a cute werewolf puppy and Caroline has to take care of him and search for a witch to undo the spell. Title from "Strange" by Patsy Cline. Rated T.)**

Caroline Forbes was well versed in weird, had experienced all sorts of abnormal, in the years since she'd learned that impossible things, monsters and magic, were real and all around her.

So when Enzo walked into her apartment, with a body slung over his shoulder, and a struggling bundle of fur under his opposite arm, she wasn't immediately alarmed. Caroline just sort of hoped he hadn't run into the building manager, because she'd hate to have to compel him. Again.

She studied Enzo, and he didn't seem anxious or scared, so Caroline was pretty sure that she wouldn't be needing to call the cavalry. She'd long since given up trying to predict what Enzo would get up to, on any given day, so this was only like a level yellow on the weirdness scale. Besides, if there was no blood, it probably wasn't an emergency. Caroline glanced at the squirming animal, a sandy colored puppy, that was frantically trying to escape Enzo's hold, but decided that the body was probably the more pressing issue.

She put down her magazine, and stood up from the couch, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

"Hello, Gorgeous," Enzo greeted her, with a nod, before flinging the body onto the cushions, unconcerned when the guy's legs dangled over the arm. He used his newly free hand to hold the puppy, who'd begun barking, more securely. "Found that one loitering around your building, all suspicious like. He's a vampire, but young enough that I took him out with no trouble. D'you know him?"

Leaning forward, Caroline peered at the face for a few moments, but he was not the least bit recognizable to her. She stepped back, shaking her head, "Nope. Never seen him before. And geez, Enzo, you can't just go around snapping necks. Maybe he was just checking out a vacant apartment."

Enzo scoffed, "Doubtful. There was definite sinister lingering happening. What about this guy?" Enzo hoisted the puppy to eye level, by the scruff of its neck. "Look familiar?"

The poor thing struggled, its little legs flailing as it whined. Caroline didn't know a whole lot about pets, but she reached for it automatically, scolding, "Don't be mean, Enzo!" before pulling the animal to her chest and stroking its back as it nosed at her neck, "Never seen the puppy either." She waited for a few moments than, thinking it must be sufficiently recovered from Enzo's manhandling, put the puppy on the floor before kneeling down and petting its head. It leaned happily into her touch, "What kind of dog do you think it is? And is it a boy or a girl?"

"I'm no expert but I think it's probably just a mutt with some shepherd in it. And the other thing's easy enough to check." Enzo crouched down and the puppy turned its head and growled, edging away. But Enzo ignored the warning, and to be fair it  _was_  more cute than threatening, and reached out. The puppy snapped at Enzo's hand, when it neared, and darted around Caroline, pressing against her side.

She felt a laugh bubble up, "Looks like someone's a little shy."

Before Enzo could try again a phone began ringing, coming from somewhere on their temporarily dead visitor. Both Caroline and Enzo's heads twisted in that direction. "Um, should we get that?" Caroline asked.

"Might as well," Enzo replied. He tugged the stranger over enough to dig through his jacket pocket. He showed Caroline the screen, but no name was displayed. Caroline recognized the area code though, and a small alarm sounded in her brain. Surely it couldn't mean anything that a strange vampire had shown up, and was fielding calls from New Orleans?

Her little bout of denial was incredibly short lived, once Enzo answered the phone, and a very familiar voice blared out of the tiny speaker. Caroline closed her eyes in resignation, "Josh, are you there yet? I swear, if you've mucked this up I will happily spend decades upon decades, slowly unfurling your insides, in the most painful ways imaginable."

The puppy let out a series of sharp barks, and pawed at Caroline's hip.

"I do like a woman who's creative," Enzo murmured in reply, and Caroline rolled her eyes at the blatant flirtatiousness of it, "but your friend, Josh was it? Is a bit indisposed. May I take a message?"

"Who is this?" the tone had changed, from annoyed to menacing and Caroline winced. Enzo, of course, was unfazed, since he had only a passing knowledge of Rebekah Mikaelson, and the reasons why you didn't want to get on her bad side.

"Now that's rather rude," Enzo reprimanded, "after all,  _you_  called  _me_. I do believe that you should be the one making introductions."

"Listen to me very carefully, you cretin, if you…"

Caroline held out her hand, "Give me the phone, Enzo."

"You know this charming creature? And you've never introduced me? And here I thought we were pals."

Rebekah made a disgusted noise, "I see your taste in company has not improved in the slightest, Caroline."

Caroline waited until Enzo passed her the phone, standing up and walking to the other side of the room, and bringing it to her ear, the puppy hot on her heels, "Rebekah. I'd say it's been too long, but really it hasn't been nearly long enough."

"Trust me, Caroline. I completely agree. But, since Nik's not exactly great at making friends, we had very few options, when he got himself into this mess."

Caroline's heart began to thud, as the uneasiness she'd started to feel, upon hearing Rebekah's voice grew. "What mess?" she demanded, "he's not…" she trailed off, taking a deep breath. He obviously couldn't be dead, since Rebekah sounded more put out than devastated, and Caroline herself was still among the living. And, as Klaus had once delighted in telling her, he was the most powerful creature on earth. How bad could things really be?

"Did Josh not explain things to you? Honestly, good help is so hard to find these days."

"Josh is the semi-cute vamp with dark hair? Yeah, he didn't really get a chance to say much. Enzo's a wee bit paranoid, so your minion got his neck snapped for lurking around my building."

"Ugh," Rebekah grumbled, "and I told him to be discrete, too. Well, I'll sum things up for you. Nik pissed off some witches. Not an unusual occurrence, mind. But one in particular managed to weave a tricky little spell, leaving him vulnerable, and then things got a tad heated and she ended up dead. Kol's fault, really. We've not had a lot of luck in reversing it, and the peasants do get uppity when they think the throne is weak. So we had to get Nik out of the city."

"Wait, Klaus is here? Where? And what's the spell?"

Rebekah sighed, deep and long suffering, "Oh, Caroline do use your brain."

Caroline glanced up at the ceiling, unwilling to admit that she had no idea what Rebekah was talking about. Her attention was drawn down, caught by the little paws scratching at the denim that covered her legs. The puppy was gazing up at her, eyes big and blue and strangely… knowing.

And now that she thought about it, that particular shade of blue, was  _really_  familiar.

Caroline bit her lip, fighting the urge to laugh, because the thought was completely nuts. It was batshit insane, to even consider that Klaus was currently in her living room, as an adorable ball of puppy shaped fluff, standing no more than twelve inches tall.

But then again, was it really all that much weirder than the whole prison dimension thing? If a coven of witches could make a copy of the entire freaking world, and everything in it, was it so unfathomable that one witch could turn the original hybrid into a puppy?

Not really, in Caroline's opinion.

She looked over at Enzo, who was watching her curiously. Caroline hesitated for a moment, because what she was about to do could very well make her seem like the biggest idiot on the planet. Enzo might be the least judgemental friend she had, but he'd mercilessly mock her, for trying to carry on a conversation with a dog, if it turned out that she had, in fact, lost her mind.

"Hold on a second, Rebekah," Caroline murmured into the phone, tucking it between her ear and shoulder, and bending to scoop the puppy up. It didn't try to escape, like it had with Enzo, and she carried it over to the table, setting it down on top, and pulling up a chair.

Because this was definitely a conversation one needed to sit down for.

The puppy sat, and its tail thumped against the table top. Enzo ambled over, and the puppy's eyes tracked his movements warily, "What's going on, Caroline?"

"I know Damon told you about The Originals, right?"

"Your hybrid, his evil sister, etc?"

"Yeah," Caroline shook the phone, "you just met the evil sister, sort of. And I think…" God, was she really going to say this out loud?

"You think…" Enzo prompted, and they both ignored the sound of Rebekah's complaints about being ignored, and how anything Damon Salvatore had to say about her was utter nonsense.

"I think this is Klaus," Caroline said, with a nod at the animal on her table. It came out in a rush, the words barely separated. But Enzo heard her and the puppy reacted too, barking excitedly, body wriggling, feet sliding on the polished wood.

But Enzo let out an abrupt laugh, "The big bad hybrid is a puppy? I'm all aquiver," he reached out, to touch the puppy (Klaus? Should she start thinking of it as Klaus? That was going to take some getting used to) but once again, the puppy bared its teeth, snapping and nearly catching Enzo's fingers.

Caroline slapped Enzo's hand away, "Hey! Careful. If I'm  _not_  totally looney toons here than those sharp little teeth are your one way ticket to a painful death." Turning to the puppy, she pointed a finger at it sternly, "And you. No biting Enzo. Or any of my friends. Or anyone in general. I mean it."

The puppy huffed, and sat down on its haunches, petulant as can be, and Caroline was certain it had totally understood her, and she felt a little more confident in her wild theory.

Taking a deep breath, Caroline grabbed the phone again, "Rebekah, please tell me that this is a joke. That you've gotten super bored, and decided on a new way to torment me. Tell me that you didn't actually send me Klaus the werewolf puppy."

"Fraid not, darling. You've got to give the witch credit for style, hmm? Kol's headed off to search out some contacts in South America. Elijah and I have our hands full here. The list of people Nik trusted to mind him, and not attempt to kill him, was pitifully short, and you were right at the top."

Klaus glanced away, seemingly finding his paws fascinating.

"I…" Caroline had no idea what to say to that.

Luckily, Rebekah wasn't really the fuzzy emotions type, and got straight to the threatening, "Now, Nik may trust you, at least as much as he's capable. But I do not. You will protect him with your life, Caroline. You, and your little friend, will not tell a soul about his predicament. I will be most displeased, should something happen to Nik. And my displeasure will mean the slow, agonizing death of you and everyone you love. Do we have an understanding?"

Caroline swallowed heavily, and glanced at Enzo, who was looking impressed, "I think your forgetting the part where if Klaus dies, I die, Rebekah. But I hear you, loud and clear."

"Excellent," Rebekah drawled, sounding satisfied. "Now, Josh has the keys to one of Nik's vehicles, and a credit card. The phone you're holding has the location of a few witches programmed in. They're related to the pesky little wretch that cursed my brother. I need you to track them down."

"Whoa. Dog sitting is one thing, but now you expect me to hunt down and interrogate witches?"

"Oh please, Caroline. Don't pretend you don't enjoy Nik's usual form. Something kept him occupied, for hours and hours, last time we were in Mystic Falls. I'm quite sure it wasn't the scenery."

Caroline was just about to utter a protest but was stopped by Klaus, still sitting patiently on the table, shooting her literal puppy eyes, and damn it that just wasn't fair. "Ugh, fine. I'll help. But you better believe I am abusing that credit card," Caroline warned, mostly to cover how easily she'd caved.

Klaus barked once, and Caroline didn't know if that was a 'go ahead' or a 'don't you dare.' She would bet on the former, given Klaus' penchant for lavish gifts.

"Enjoy yourself, by all means," Rebekah said condescendingly, "but focus on the task. I'll touch base with you tomorrow."

Rebekah hung up, without waiting for a reply. "Awesome," Caroline muttered, "great talk." She regarded the puppy, Klaus, warily for a few moments, before she slumped back into her seat with a groan. "What even is my life?"

Enzo patted her on the shoulder, and sat down, "Never dull, at least." He addressed Klaus, sounding remarkably normal, but then Enzo was pretty great at dealing with curveballs, "I'm Enzo. Heard a lot about you, mate. Sorry I tried to check under the hood. No hard feelings, alright?"

Caroline snorted at that, a tiny, hysterical giggle coming out. She slapped a hand over her mouth, "Sorry, I'm sorry," she apologized, when both Enzo and Klaus gave her funny looks. But the urge to laugh only grew stronger at the affronted expression painted on Klaus' puppy face. Caroline gave in, letting her head fall onto the table, as her whole body shook in amusement. Klaus laid down on the table, resting his head on his paws, managing to project an air of annoyed patience as he waited for her to calm down.

She did, eventually, wiping her eyes, and clearing her throat. "Okay. So to recap: Klaus is a puppy, and I have a mission, that I must accomplish, under threats of death and dismemberment."

"Sounds about right, Gorgeous."

Caroline nodded once, resolutely, "Grab me a notebook, Enzo. I'm going to need to make a list."


	2. This Is Gonna Take Some Getting Used To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caroline deals with her guests, and tries to wrap her head around how freaking weird her life is.

**Oh How Strange – Part Two**

**(The continuing adventures of Caroline and werewolfpuppy!Klaus. Rated K+.)**

Caroline decided to send Enzo home - he was a fly by the seat of his pants kind of guy and he'd just get in the way of her serious plotting. He hadn't wanted to leave, but Caroline had insisted, physically yanking him out of the dining room chair and waving Klaus away when he tried to follow, "Klaus, stay."

That earned her a growl, and she threw him an apologetic look. "Yeah, that was rude. Sorry."

Caroline hauled Enzo towards the door, despite his reluctance, "Seriously, Enzo," Caroline assured him, "plausible deniability is a good thing here. Take my word for it. Rebekah Mikaelson? Heinous, sadistic bitch. Her only redeeming quality is her killer taste in shoes."

"That's not very nice, Caroline."

"She's 1000 years old. I'm pretty sure she invented some of the torture techniques those Augustine weirdos used on you. Probably perfected them on the guy who refused to kiss her ring, or whatever. And The Original's never throw anything out. I don't even want to know what kind of creepy implements of pain and misery they have lying around"

If anything, that seemed to intrigue Enzo even more. Which was super gross, and not something Caroline wanted to think about.

"She sounds delightful, truly."

"I swear to god, Enzo," Caroline says, shooting him a hard look, "if Rebekah has long distance hypnotized you into doing her bidding I will kill you before she can."

"Nonsense, Gorgeous," Enzo replies, looking at her like she'd said something ridiculous. "You know I'm always on your side."

Caroline paused in front of her door, nodding in agreement and appreciation, "'Cause my side's the right side, duh."

Enzo chuckled. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders affectionately, "Right, you'll call me if you need anything? Dog sitter, road trip buddy, help with body disposal?"

Caroline mustered a smile, "Will do. Just… don't say anything to anyone, okay? Especially not to Damon. You weren't around, but he was concocting terrible 'Let's Kill Klaus!' plans. For a solid two years. I don't trust him not to jump on this, and I really don't want to be the one to explain to Elena that her boyfriend got himself brutally murdered for being an idiot, you know?"

"Oh, well if it's for Elena," Enzo drawled sarcastically.

Caroline rolled her eyes, unwilling to defend Elena for the umpteenth time. It was pointless, as Enzo's opinion was set, and privately she could admit that he wasn't exactly wrong, about some of her friend's less than stellar qualities. He didn't have the lifetime of memories, to color his perspective, that Caroline did. "And for me," she reminded him.

He softened slightly, giving her a nod, before leaving. Caroline breathed a sigh of relief. That was as good as a promise, from Enzo. And she trusted him not to break it.

Klaus, pacing along the edge of her table, probably didn't share her faith.

Which was just too damn bad. Because Caroline was pretty sure that, as the only member of the team currently in possession of opposable thumbs, she was automatically the captain.

She leaned back against the closed door, considering her next move. Klaus eyed her, his agitation evident in his bared teeth and the way his gaze never left her, even as he continued his restless movements.

Caroline totally got that Klaus was a control freak, to an insane degree, and that this situation must be incredibly difficult for him. Just the thought of being in his shoes made her shudder, and she wasn't even a fraction as paranoid. Not to mention, Klaus kind of loved to throw around the "I'm the Big Bad Hybrid, Fear Me!" card and that wasn't exactly an option, at the moment.

Because he was tiny and fluffy and adorable and not the least bit intimidating. That had to be humiliating.

He'd trusted her, with this. Trusted that she'd be willing to help him. It was kind of a huge deal.

Caroline was almost afraid to consider the implications of that. To think about what it said about the way he felt about her, even after she'd asked for time and distance.

Klaus was clearly growing impatient with her silence, her lack of action, and he let out a sharp bark. Caroline pushed off the door, shushing him, "I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to have pets so if you could  _not_  do that I would appreciate it."

He growls softly and Caroline rolls her eyes, "Yes, I know. You're not a pet. But I can't exactly say, 'Hey, here's my old friend Klaus! He's usually taller, and a little more man shaped, so don't kick me out because I'm totally not actually breaking my lease agreement' without freaking people out. I do not want to be known as the crazy lady in 4B."

Klaus had settled down, at some point during her ramble, stretching his body out and resting his head on his paws. Caroline sat down once more, setting the notepad in front of her, and picking up her pen. She tapped it on the table a few times, biting her lip and trying to think of a way to phrase her next question delicately. But then she decided that there really wasn't a way to do so, and wasn't it a good thing that Klaus had always found her bluntness more charming than irritating?

"So…" Caroline draws out the word, and Klaus head tips to the side, so she rushes out the rest, "just to clarify. You're totally, you know,  _you_ , in there? I don't have to worry about you peeing on the carpet or eating my shoes?"

Caroline's pretty sure from the way his head lifts, and how he manages to look almost mortally offended, that he's 100% Klaus under the fur. She holds up her hands, a placating gesture, "Just checking, geez."

He still looks miffed, which is pretty impressive, in Caroline's opinion. She sighs, decides to try to smooth things over. "Okay. So despite the fact that talking to you like this is really, really creepy and awkward, I recognize that you have way more experience with this whole tracking down your enemies thing. So I might as well make use of your brain. Since you claim it's in working order."

He perks up, hopping to his feet, tail wagging slightly.

It's a struggle not to react, because it's freaking adorable and she kind of wants to snuggle him. But she suspects that Klaus would not be cool with that.

Or he would and it would be weird. He's been surprisingly into post coital cuddling, even though they'd done it on the forest floor.

But that thought is not even the tiniest bit helpful, right now.

Caroline rips a piece of paper out of her notebook, writes out 'YES' and 'NO' in large print, darkening the letters, and then spacing the pages a foot or so apart on the table. Can he read like this? Caroline's not sure, and she doesn't want to ask him, given his previous reaction. So she just taps them pointedly as she speaks, "I'm going to ask you questions. Touch this one for yes, and this one for no, and let's start to work this mess out, okay?"

He moves to the one she'd indicated for 'Yes' setting his two front paws on the paper and looking up at her expectantly.

Caroline cracks a smile, shakes her head, picks up her pen again, trying to think decide the best place to start.

And maybe it's a struggle, to focus on the situation at hand. Usually, she prides herself on her ability to focus during a crisis, to compartmentalize, and do what she needs to. But now, her mind keeps wandering. Because while this is a situation that needs a solution, and she is determined that she'll find it, it's (for once) not life or death.

Klaus is here, but he's not. And Caroline finds it hard to ignore the not so small part of her that really, really misses the sound of his voice.

* * *

She and Klaus have managed to work out a rough plan for the next three days (Day One: supplies and logistics, Day Two: travel, Day Three: tracking a witch) when there's a groan from behind Caroline on the couch.

Right. She'd totally forgotten about her guest. Klaus is looking past her, but he doesn't seem agitated, so Caroline relaxes. He obviously doesn't consider the younger vampire a threat, so she spins in her chair, pasting on what she hopes is a welcoming smile, "Hi. Josh, right? I'm Caroline. Sorry about the neck snapping. Did you want a blood bag?"

He rises from the couch, stretching out his arms. He opens his mouth to reply, but his eyes drift past her and he immediately snaps it shut. "Uh, no. I'm good."

Caroline turns her head to look at Klaus suspiciously. It seems impossible to her, that he's capable of intimidating anyone right now, but she swears it's him that's making Josh uneasy.

"Are you sure? It's no trouble. And I feel kind of bad that you ended up temporarily dead, when you were only doing Klaus a favor. My friend Enzo's not really a big fan of strangers."

Josh's eyes widen at the word favor, an incredulous look crossing his face.

Caroline glances at Klaus again, putting the pieces together, "Not a favor? Come on. I thought the whole hybrid debacle would have been a wakeup call, about how the care and feeding of your minions. I guess not."

"Not a big fan of the word minion," Josh mutters.

"Who's Rebekah holding hostage?" Caroline asks knowingly.

"No one," Josh denies, "I'm only here under threats of my own excruciatingly death. One hybrid bite is more than enough for me."

Caroline can relate to  _that_  feeling. "Ugh, tell me about it. I've had two."

Klaus nudges her elbow with his nose, and Caroline stiffens, moving her arm away.

Scratch missing the sound of his voice. Because she's pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to resist pointing out that she had, in fact, been bitten more than twice.

She'd voluntarily had his teeth in her thigh, and in her throat, that day in the woods. And excruciating death had been the last thing one her mind.

And Klaus knew it, too.

Caroline gets up, going into the kitchen and pulling two blood bags out of her crisper. She tosses one at Josh. He catches it neatly, once again looking uncertainly at Klaus.

"Ignore him," Caroline instructs. "He's been told that if he bites anyone on my watch my willingness to help him will become nonexistent. You're safe."

Josh hesitates, for another few seconds, before he opens the bag and takes a sip. "Thank you," he says politely, once nearly half of it is gone.

"You're welcome. Can I ask how you're getting home?"

He'd driven here, she knows. And according to Rebekah, the vehicle he'd driven from New Orleans is now at her disposal. And Caroline's almost certain that, after forcing the poor guy to do their bidding, neither Rebekah nor Klaus would have spared a thought for his safe return home.

A long suffering expression crosses Josh' face, telling her that she's correct in her assumptions. "I think I'm going to need directions to the nearest bus station."

Caroline throws Klaus an unimpressed look, "No need. I'll drive you to the airport. Klaus will pay for your ticket. First class."

If Klaus  _could_  roll his eyes at her, he totally would. But he's the one who gave her free rein with his credit card, so really it's his own fault.

* * *

It's nearly midnight, when they get home from the airport, and Caroline sets the tote bag she'd used as a makeshift carrier for Klaus down. He had not been happy, when she'd produced it, snarling and going rigid when she'd tried to put him into it. But Caroline really didn't want to get kicked out of her apartment. She'd offered to let Klaus stay behind, but he'd refused, and had sat between her and Josh in the front seat of his SUV.

She's not entirely sure why, because through her conversation with the guy she'd gathered that Josh was a younger vampire than she was, and didn't seem to have a single speck of ruthlessness in him. Plus, he'd been pretty cute, talking about his boyfriend, so Klaus couldn't be jealous.

Caroline wishes he could just  _tell_  her what he's thinking and she's back to missing his voice.

Klaus wriggles out of the tote bag, but he doesn't go far. He lets out a yawn and lies down on it, struggling to keep his eyes open.

Caroline debates just letting him sleep there, because he looks comfortable enough. But her feet are glued to the floor, refusing to let her walk away.

"You are such a sucker, Caroline Forbes," she mutters to herself, before she bends and scoops Klaus up. He presses his nose to her neck, letting out a soft, tired, noise. Entering her room, she sets him on her bed. She takes a step back, pointing down at him, "Do not get any ideas. This is just for a minute. You're totally sleeping on the floor."

His tail beats against the mattress half-heartedly for a moment, and Caroline takes that as his agreement to her terms.

Which turns out to be a mistake.

The next morning Caroline wakes up with his small form curled into her side, despite the nest of blankets and cushions she'd painstakingly set up for him to sleep in.

His eyes crack open when she moves, the blue of them wary, like he expects to be scolded. But Caroline's still tired, and if there's one thing she's learned, in her dealings with Klaus, it's to pick her battles.

And it's probably less dangerous, to have him in her bed now, than to have him there when he's himself, isn't it?

So she rolls over, buries herself under her quilt, feels him settle down next to her. The absurdity of the situation, hits her again, all at once, and she starts to laugh, trying to muffle the sounds in her pillow. But he must feel it, because he picks his way around her, his slight weight barely shaking the mattress. He nudges her with his head, until she looks at him, sitting down next to her pillow. "I'm sorry. It's just, bet this is the last way you imagined getting into my bed, huh?"

Klaus does not appear to share her amusement. Caroline's pretty sure she's never seen an animal's face look quite so disgusted.

And she might be a terrible person, but it only makes her laugh harder.


	3. Awkward One Sided Conversations

Caroline knows she needs to get up. She's got a list, and it isn't exactly short. But her bed's so warm and cozy. And once she gets out of it she's diving right back into a situation fraught with awkwardness. And danger, but she's totally used to that. The possibility of being tortured by hostile witches barely phases her.

The conversation she needs to have with Klaus, before they leave her apartment? Yeah, that's gonna be terrible.

Maybe it'll be better if they have it here. Casual was good, right? She'd let the fact that he snuck into her bed slide, maybe he'd keep the disdain to a minimum, out of gratitude.

Caroline _had_ always been an optimist.

She rolls over, on to her side, and Klaus' tail twitches but his eyes don't open. Seems she wasn't the only one who was a fan of lazy mornings in bed. Although, if he wasn't currently cursed into tiny furry body she imagines she'd have woken up very differently. She shoves the thought away quickly, refusing to dwell on it. It's entirely possible Klaus' senses are still hyper sensitive, and thinking naughty thoughts was strictly a no no when he might be able to pick up the scent of her arousal.

She tucks the covers more firmly around her body. Just in case.

Caroline lays her hand on his head. Is unable to resist running it down his back. He doesn't seem to mind, shifts closer, his eyes opening to look at her. Caroline smiles brightly and clears her throat, "Morning! So, a couple things. First, before we tackle everything we need to get done, so we can leave tomorrow, I need to go see Bonnie. And you need to stay here while I do it."

Klaus does not seem to appreciate that, letting out a huff and standing tall. Well, as tall as he's able. He even shakes his head. Caroline sits up, making an effort to seem reasonable, "She's my friend and she's not going to hurt me. And I won't tell her what happened to you, I promise. But I was thinking that she might know of some way to mask that I'm a vampire. Or at the very least have something that'll say, 'Hey, I'm friends with a Bennett witch, so I'm cool, and you don't need to make my brain explode.' Because aneurysms suck and some witches are so touchy about the whole vampire thing."

Klaus lets out another agitated noise – more of a threat of a growl then an actual growl - his little body stiff. "And you can't come with, unless you want her to see you like this. She'll know I didn't just randomly decide to get a dog. Because I'm me. And that's the sort of commitment that requires a ton of research. And who knows, maybe she'll do something witchy, and one touch and she'll know there's an evil hybrid under all that cute."

He bares his teeth, and Caroline rolls her eyes. "Oh, relax. I don't think you're totally evil anymore. But Bonnie does." She hesitates, biting her lip, because the next part was a tiny bit stickier. "I was hoping that you'd agree to help out a little, with what's going on with Elena. Bonnie won't want to help you, and I could make something up, about what I need whatever magical doohickey she'll whip up for. But then there's always the possibility that she'll demand to tag along, thinking I'm in danger. And I try not to lie to her anymore."

He's settled down, sometime during her rant. Sitting on her bed, looking far too serious for his current form. He makes a quick jerk of his head, and Caroline assumes it's a nod. But it never hurts to make sure, with Klaus. She holds out her hand. "Was that a yes? Tap my hand for yes."

He heaves a tiny sigh, and does so.

Caroline beams at him. "Thank you, Klaus."

He manages another nodding motion, and pads to the end of the bed. He leaps down and Caroline winces, worried in spite of herself. Her bed was tall, and he was pretty little. She didn't want him to hurt himself. Both because she could admit that she cared about him, and because the idea of taking Klaus to a vet, the thought of kind of tests that a vet would have to run, is completely horrifying.

Caroline was certain there would be no saving that veterinarian, no matter that the person would have simply been doing their job. Klaus would murder them, simple as that. His dignity could only take so many hits.

She peeks over the end of the bed and is relieved to find that Klaus is fine, steady on all four paws, waiting with an air of impatience. How he manages that Caroline has no idea. Throwing back the covers she gets up, and walks to her bedroom door. Klaus motions for her to go ahead, his nose cold on her calf, old world manners intact, evidently still believing in ladies first.

Caroline walks to the kitchen, busies herself with setting up the coffee and putting down a bowl of water for Klaus. He waits until her eyes are averted, until she's rummaging in the refrigerator for a blood bag, before he starts to drink.

She feels a pang of sympathy, and a little flare of anger. Honestly, it's entirely possible that whatever witch had cast this spell had a legitimate grudge. But would a little sportsmanship be too much to ask for? Honor amongst adversaries, or whatever? Try to kill Klaus? Fine, he was used to that. But this? Kind of uncalled for, in her opinion. Caroline couldn't feel bad about the extra painful death Klaus had in store for whoever was remotely connected to the plan that had resulted in his predicament.

She moves slowly, listening until he's done. "Are you hungry?" she asks. "Josh said you've been eating regular food. Not sure that's good for you, but I'll add that to my research pile. And I doubt you'll be like this for long enough for it to matter."

She hopes not anyway. It's become slightly easier, carrying on this one way conversation. She's learning to read his facial expressions, imagines what he'd say. Really wants to _not_ have to imagine anymore.

Klaus nudges the leg of one of her dining room chairs and Caroline assumes that means yes, he'd like to eat. She lifts him onto it the table and he promptly lies down. She begins pulling eggs out of the refrigerator. "You're lucky," she tells him. "Breakfast I can do. Other meals, not so much. Except dessert. My brownies would blow your mind."

She works quickly and has a hashbrown casserole in the oven in minutes. She figures it'll be easier for him to eat. Sitting down in the chair across from him Caroline braces herself for the second thing they need to discuss. The one that's even worse than the first.

Caroline takes a deep breath and leans down, propping her head on her forearm so they're nearly eye to eye. "Okay, I'm going to need you to listen to this next part and not freak out. I get that this whole thing sucks. And honestly, you're probably dealing better then I would've." And far better than she had anticipated, once the reality had set in after Rebekah's phone call.

Klaus looks wary but his ears are perked up so she knows he's listening. "When we're out in public," she says evenly, holding his gaze, "I'm going to need you to act like you're an actual dog."

He does not take that well. He gets to his feet, fur bristling, tail making angry slashes. Caroline grimaces, and holds up her hand. "Just hear me out, okay? You don't want anyone to know what's happened, right? For a whole host of reasons, not the least being that right now you're kind of less indestructible and not nearly as capable of ripping out a heart if someone looks at you the wrong way."

He's relaxed, if only the slightest, taking in her words. Caroline presses on. "Me, talking to you like I actually think you understand me, is the opposite of inconspicuous. People love to rubberneck at crazies. We're laying low and any attention we draw is a bad idea, right? We can't know how many people know about this spell, know you're under it."

He lets out a soft bark, clearly not happy, but perhaps seeing her point. Klaus was a strategist, two steps ahead of everyone else. A guy who always had plans A through G. And a fan of sneaking up on people. It had been the whole reason for the Alaric body swap. He liked the advantage that came when people didn't see him coming.

"I will do my very best," Caroline promises, "to make it easy. I will physically throw myself in front of people who want to pet you. I will buy you the most badass collar Petco sells. And I will remove it the minute we're in private. I will not take a single photo or video. And I swear that once this is done we _never_ have to speak about any of it again, okay? Vegas rules."

He's wavering, she thinks. He had trusted her. She just needs him to trust her a little bit more. "And I'm not saying we can't communicate. We'll work out a system because, like I said, hunting enemies is clearly more your bag then mine. It just has to be subtle. And, you know, reasonably puppy-like."

She holds her breath, watching him carefully. Klaus concedes with the barest twitch of his nose up and down. Caroline exhales with a woosh, slumping back in her chair. She'd been prepared for a tantrum, figured she'd have to sacrifice a table leg or two to Klaus' teeth. And maybe that was still coming. Him agreeing, grudgingly at that, was very different from them going out, and him being forced into the role of house pet.

Still, it was a tiny victory. And it would help move their aims forward. The sooner Klaus was back in his usual body the better.

For her and for him.


	4. Supplies and Logistics

**Oh How Strange (Part Four)**

Walking into her apartment Caroline's feeling pretty good about what she's accomplished. After a brief fight with Klaus (her talking and him pacing, occasionally bristling and growling) post-breakfast he'd agreed to stay behind while she took care of a few errands.

Caroline had managed to check a bunch of thing off her list of things to do before she and Klaus left on their witch hunting road trip tomorrow. A little compulsion ensured that Caroline's boss didn't mind a sudden, abrupt vacation. Her snotty coworker had been there, had been incredulous when Caroline informed her that she'd be taking off for a couple weeks. Had looked positively shocked, and more than a little pissed, when Caroline had breezed out of the office, time off secured.

Caroline really did love being a vampire.

With that taken care of she'd moved on to something fun: shopping.

First stop: outdoorsy stuff. Not her favorite, and she was probably a little rusty, but Caroline knew the basics. She'd figured some supplies – a cooler, some camping gear – would be smart. There was plenty of space in Klaus' ginormous SUV for just in case items and some of the locations Rebekah had programmed into the phone she'd left in Caroline's keeping were nowhere near anywhere populated. After purchasing the gear she'd headed to a fancy schmancy pet boutique downtown (rationalizing that Klaus would expect the best, would probably be highly offended if she brought home a bag from Target, and he _was_ footing the bill). She'd almost gasped out loud when told the total but had handed over Klaus' card, walking out with everything she would need to seem like a responsible pet haver to anyone they happened to come across.

A quick trip to the grocery store for bottled water, some portable snacks and steaks (plus salad things for her) for dinner and Caroline figured she was set.

After unlocking the door she's just about to call out a greeting to Klaus, kind of surprised that he hadn't come out to meet her (she figured he'd be impatient, would want an update of her progress but it's not like he could accept a call on a iPhone at the moment. They'd tried and touch screens just weren't made for paws).

Caroline's setting the bags down when she realizes that something is… off.

There's someone in her apartment. The apartment that's currently harboring a weakened version of someone with a whole lot of enemies. Not a good thing.

She doesn't even think about it. Caroline drops everything in her hands and whirls, fangs dropping, hands ready to _tear_ , only to pull back abruptly when Bonnie stands up from her couch in alarm, "Whoa! Geez, Care. It's me. Calm down."

Caroline takes a deep breath, and closes her eyes, letting her vampire features recede. She offers Bonne an awkward smile, "Sorry!" she chirps. "You surprised me. I thought I was meeting you at your house after dinner?"

Bonnie's home base remains Mystic Falls. Caroline's in Richmond, close enough that she can help out with the ongoing rescue Elena mission but far enough away that she can beg off when she needs to.

Something she's been doing more and more, much to Damon's displeasure. He could suck it, Caroline thought. She weathered his snarky quips, tossed back her own. Didn't bother trying to be nice like she once had. Elena wasn't around to make the effort for. And Elena had wanted them to _live_ so Caroline was giving it her best shot.

She'd even been thinking about doing some travelling, getting further away from the never ending Mystic Falls drama. Caroline had been thinking Europe but she supposed a road trip wasn't a bad start. Even if Klaus was tagging along.

Bonnie's watching her curiously, head tipped to the side, "I needed to get out of the house. Thought I'd surprise you and make you take me out to that great Italian place we went to the last time I was here. Plus, your message was kind of cryptic. I was a little worried."

Crap. Caroline had tried her best to avoid that.

She bends to pick up the bags she'd dropped when she'd lunged, hoping to buy herself time to gather her thoughts. Caroline tucks her hair behind her ear and tries to listen for Klaus. She picks up his heartbeat first, the quick tempo of his current form, coming from the next room.

He must have made himself scarce when Bonnie came over. Part of the deal had been that she couldn't know the specifics of Klaus' condition.

Bonnie's wandered over to help and she looks puzzled when she peeks in the bad from the pet store, "What do you need this stuff for?" she asks, tugging out the leather collar Caroline had picked (she'd kept it simple and classy, despite the opportunities for hilarity a couple of the options had presented. She'd promised to try to make this whole situation as pain free as she could for Klaus, and she meant to keep her word).

"Gift," Caroline lies, taking the bag from Bonnie and tucking it away. "One of my coworkers just got a puppy with her boyfriend. Kind of a trial baby, I think. We all went in together to get her something."

Bonnie nods, seeming to accept the story and Caroline mentally sighs in relief. "That's going to be a very stylish dog," Bonnie jokes.

Biting back a hysterical giggle Caroline heads to the kitchen to stow the groceries. "Well, the giftee is a little… particular."

Understatement. Klaus probably killed minions when they screwed up the dry cleaning.

Bonnie has trailed her into the kitchen and she watches Caroline open and close cupboards, "So what's that favor you needed? Enzo mentioned he'd seen you. Said you'd run into an old friend? He was annoyingly cryptic."

Ugh. Caroline makes a mental note to have words with Enzo. That _was not_ keeping his mouth shut.

"I wouldn't say ran into…" Caroline hedges. Klaus had technically been hand delivered, after all. And she'd only spoken to Rebekah. "But I've agreed to pitch in with a teeny tiny problem. And I was hoping you'd help me out."

"Caroline…" Bonnie begins, tone hard and suspicious. "How _teeny tiny_ a problem are we talking? And exactly what old friend is dragging you into their mess?"

She's been busying herself with the groceries, avoiding Bonnie's eyes, but she knows that's not going to fly any longer. Caroline faces her friend, leans against the counter. "It's nothing I can't handle Bonnie. I promise."

Bonnie doesn't seem comforted. "And the friend?" she prods.

Caroline decides to just rip off the band aid, "Klaus."

Bonnie blinks for a few seconds, her mouth agape. " _Klaus_? Since when do you talk to _Klaus_?"

"Since yesterday," Caroline informs her, lifting her chin defiantly. "Well, kind of," she adds, after a moment. Technically they hadn't actually _talked_ , had they?

"And what, he just called you out of the blue and demanded you do his bidding?" Bonnie's voice has risen, the pitch nearing shriek territory.

Caroline winces, "No, it wasn't like that." She decides to avoid mentioning that _Rebekah_ had been doing the demanding. And the threatening. "Look, he has a situation and things in New Orleans aren't great so I got drafted. It's not that bad. I can't tell you much. I _did_ get him to agree to help us out with Elena."

"We don't need his help," Bonnie spits.

Caroline rolls her eyes. She was no stranger to stubbornness but surely Bonnie could see the advantages? "No offense, Bon, but what could it hurt? We haven't gotten anywhere in _years_. Klaus has got to know all kinds of witches we don't. I'm sure he's got stacks of grimy old magic books too."

"Elena didn't want us sacrificing things for her. What do you think you bargaining with Klaus is, Caroline? Cause it seems like a sacrifice to me."

"What do you think you doing nothing with your life but combing grimoires and babysitting Damon is, Bonnie?" Caroline shoots back. "Is _that_ the living Elena wanted you to do? Cause I don't think it is. And, for the record, I agreed to help Klaus _before_ I asked for _his_ help. So it technically wasn't bargaining. It was me helping out a friend. I only asked about Elena's curse when I thought about asking _you_ for help."

Unfortunately, Bonnie's still stuck on the friend part. "Friend?" she repeats, disbelief clear. "Since when? Klaus is…"

"Totally evil, the devil incarnate, a very bad guy, blah blah blah. I know all that, Bon. I'm not asking you to like him. But Klaus has come through for me when I asked him for things. I think it's only fair if I do the same. And there's the whole if he dies I die, Damon and Stefan die thing, too."

Bonnie seems to be wavering, her expression softening at the reminder. Caroline pushes a little further. It's dirty, but she's never claimed to be a saint. "I think it would kind of suck for Elena to wake up with everyone she loves dead, don't you?"

"Low blow, Caroline," Bonnie accuses, but there's little heat to it.

Caroline fights back a triumphant smile, knowing she's nearly won, "I'm not even really asking you to help him. Just… help me while I'm helping him. Please?" Caroline wheedles, doing her very best pleading eyes.

Bonnie attempts to resist but Caroline can see her resolve crumbling. Finally, she throws up her hands, "Oh my god, fine. If you're going to be an idiot, and I know what you look like when you're set on something, I will of course help you. Stop looking at me like that. What do you need?"

Bouncing on the balls of her feet Caroline claps her hands before speeding around to envelop Bonnie in a hug, "Nothing major, I promise. Let me go change and we'll go get dinner, okay?"

Bonnie returns the hug, "You're definitely buying now," she grumbles.

Caroline's not about to argue. She's totally going to use Klaus' credit card and splurge on the wine.

* * *

She's a little tipsy when she returns home the second time. The wine had been _good_. Caroline kicks off her heels when she crosses the threshold, debates picking them up and decides not to bother. She hears a door creak, and then the rapid pitter patter of little canine feet.

Klaus is looking up at her, head cocked to the side, and a sobering wave of guilt crashes over Caroline, "You must be starving. I am so sorry." She'd put down water for him after a rushed whispered conversation while she'd changed (after she'd demanded he turn away). "I bought steak earlier. I'm guessing you want it rare, huh?"

He bobs his head, in the way she's come to recognize as a nod.

"Okay. Well, then that won't take long!"

Klaus follows her to the kitchen and Caroline pulls out one of the chairs. He pauses, before making the leap and jumping on to it. Caroline resists the urge to compliment him on the effort. Klaus _would not_ appreciate any 'Good boys!' from her. A second hop and he's on the table, settling down so he can watch her as she cooks. She hears a thumping noise and glances over, notes that he's stiff and that his ears are perked up, his tail beating against the table.

She's pretty sure that's what murderously impatient looks like in his current form.

"Bonnie's onboard," Caroline tells him, digging out a skillet. "She's going to spell me a couple of bracelets. Said they'll mark me as a friendly. Not all witches will care but I figure it's better than nothing. We'll run over there and pick them up tomorrow and then leave from Mystic Falls. You'll have to camp out in the car while I talk to her."

He lets out a huff, annoyed but grudgingly accepting. Caroline works quickly, humming to herself. She goes easy on the seasonings, still not sure that Klaus should be eating _steak_ but she wasn't about to suggest they break open a can of dog food. Things had gone relatively smoothly today. She'd like to keep it that way.

When it's done she cuts it up into manageable chunks and plates it, setting it down in front of Klaus. He eats carefully, chewing individual pieces. Caroline busies herself with her lists, crossing off things and scribbling in more ideas.

It's harder to focus than it should be. She's a little alarmed by how easily she's accepted this situation. She might not have been totally happy with her life as it was, had truthfully been finding it a little dull. Still, she had a routine. Caroline liked routines. Klaus had blown in, shot it all to hell, and she has no idea where she's going to be next week, what she'll be doing. And she isn't even mad about it. Caroline's been given a problem, and she's determined to solve it. Is certain that she'll do _whatever_ it takes to get Klaus back to normal. She'd told herself that she'd forgotten all about him, that Klaus had never meant anything to her, but it's looking like that was a hell of a lie.

She hears the plate scrape across the table, Klaus' signal that he's done. Caroline put it in the sink to deal with tomorrow. It's not that late, still light outside, but they'd planned on an early start tomorrow. "I'm going to shower," she tells him. "And then I'm going to bed. If you stay out here while I'm getting ready, and don't try to peep at me – which, by the way is super creepy since you're a mini werewolf right now – I won't complain if you try to sleep on the bed. Deal?"

Klaus hops down from the table and heads to the plush area rug, sitting down and watching her expectantly. Caroline supposed that was the best answer she was going to get.

* * *

She's awoken what feels like shortly after she'd drifted off. Her bed shudders, unfamiliar noises filling her silent room. Cracks and pops, a low whine. Disoriented, Caroline sits up, tugging the covers up to her chin. Klaus is writhing on the bed next to her but he seems… bigger. Closer to what she imagines is his full size when he turns.

A werewolf was about the last thing a vampire wanted to find in her bed.

Scrambling from it Caroline goes for the window – a drop of a couple stories is nothing, and a better alternative than letting a werewolf loose in her building, should Klaus give chase. Throwing open the curtains she's greeted by the sight of the moon, round and bright and obviously full. "Shit," she mutters, cursing her own stupidity. She really should have checked the moon phases at some point during her research. She'd long since lost the habit of keeping up on them and they were _definitely_ pertinent. Chancing a glance over her shoulder she pauses, because it looks like Klaus is still changing. The fur seems to be receding, his limbs lengthening as he shudders and the groans of pain are lower, sound almost like words.

Wary, Caroline takes a couple steps back towards the bed. Her caution was unnecessary. She can see an expanse of pale skin, the tattoo on his shoulder, and soon his hands are tearing at her sheets. A final shiver racks Klaus' body before he stills with a groan. He doesn't move for several long moments, his breath coming out in harsh pants. Caroline's just reaching out to touch him, an instinctive need to sooth, when his head turns towards her, eyes slitting open. "Well," he manages, voice a hoarse scratch, " _that_ was certainly unpleasant. Even more so than usual."

She pulls back, twisting her hands together anxiously, "I don't understand. Did something happen? Did the spell break?"

Klaus rolls his neck, seems to consider her question. "I doubt it. From what I recall of the wording…"

He pushes himself up, and Caroline's eyes trace the movement of the muscles in his back before she can tell herself to avert her eyes. Hadn't she just admonished him for perving?

An amused little smirk tugs at Klaus lips but he thankfully doesn't comment on her ogling. He pulls a sheet over his lap as he arranges himself against her headboard, and Caroline glues her eyes to his face. The had business to discuss. "The wording?" she prompts.

"I believe it's a reversal, of sorts. I'm in this form on the full moon, that _other_ one for the rest of the month."

Ugh. Freaking witches.

Caroline's just about to begin spewing her annoyance but the grin that curves Klaus' mouth gives her pause. There's a teasing glint in the way he's looking at her, and he reclines slightly, perfectly at ease, nude and in her bed. He surprises her though. "Thank you, Caroline," he murmurs, soft and sincere.

"I… you're welcome," she manages to stammer.

Something wicked sparks in his blue eyes and Caroline braces herself. She remembers that look all too well. It had preceded some pretty spectacular dirty talk that day in the woods. His voice dips teasingly, "I have to admit that this was a more what I had in mind when I imagined being in your bed. Tell me, have you ever thought of me here, love?"

Yeah, he's totally sleeping on the floor.


	5. Game Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Temporarily himself again Klaus is just as Caroline remembers. Namely incredibly trying to her patience.

Who even _asked_ something like that?

Caroline gropes for an answer, hating how her mouth opens and closes as she comes up with (and quickly discards) about a half dozen comebacks. All the while Klaus lounges, his eyes focused on her, as his expression grows more and more amused. Finally, she grits her teeth together and sucks in a breath, deciding that no response is the best course of action.

Klaus didn't need any encouragement but of _course_ she had thought of him. He was nothing if not memorable and had an annoying habit of popping up as she drifted off to sleep, to do lists and _plans_ running through her head. Even worse, he tended to appear in her dreams, especially the dirty ones. Admitting _any_ of that was _not_ an option. Caroline could attempt to lie but that was tricky considering how perceptive Klaus.

Better to say nothing and attempt a distraction. She _did_ have plenty of practice at that.

She whirls, stalking to her closet, running a mental inventory of what she can give Klaus. She's really going to need him to put on some pants. For her own sanity. Caroline's fairly certain she doesn't have anything that was actually meant for a man (she'd purged any and all of her ex's leftover shirts and sweats when she'd moved into her apartment wanting to exorcise the ghosts of boyfriends past) but some of her own comfy stuff will work well enough.

Caroline grabs her two pairs of baggier sweats (one bubblegum pink, the other a leftover from high school – burgundy with 'CHEER' emblazoned across the butt) as well as a pair of black leggings. Not great, as far as options went, but she was sure Klaus had worn worse things in his thousand plus years. She remembers some frankly hilarious fashions from her art history texts and she'd bet that Klaus had tried most of them. She has a stack of worn novelty t-shirts from various trips her father had gone on that she usually uses for cleaning binges and she takes one of those too.

Clothes taken care of (to the best of her ability) she takes a few steps towards the bed before she unceremoniously tosses them in Klaus' face. His hands fly up, but he only has two of them, so his superior hybrid reflexes can only do so much and she manages to smack him in the face. His mouth twists in indignation, eyes narrowing in a glare, and Caroline bites her lip to keep in the laugh. It's still there when she speaks, a slight shake in her voice, "Put something on and meet me in the kitchen. We need to hash some things out while you can use actual words."

She's out of the room before Klaus can reply, making a beeline to the kitchen. Caroline bustles around, debates coffee before setting a pan on the stove and deciding on hot chocolate. Chocolate made everything better, right? Plus, she was reasonably certain she could add some bourbon to it and it would taste freaking delicious. She hums to distract herself, does her very best not to listen to Klaus moving around in the other room. He doesn't seem to be in any great rush, making his way to the bathroom. Caroline hears the water running and when he finally emerges there are droplets of water decorating the neckline of the faded blue Kansas City tee he wears. He'd chosen the pink sweats though he doesn't appear the least bit self-conscious about his less than stylish outfit. His walk is the same, straight shouldered with his usual disarming confidence.

Whatever, Caroline was totally storing the mental image away. She'd definitely be bringing it up in the future whenever Klaus got a little too conceited about something.

She shakes herself at the scrape of a stool, turns back to the pot she'd been stirring. "So, I checked and we've got just under seven hours until the sun rises and you get all small and fluffy again. I would like to get _some_ sleep since I'm going to be driving all day tomorrow so let's power plan."

Klaus huffs out a soft laugh, "Fine by me, love. But I'd like to call Rebekah first and see how things are progressing on her end. Where did you set my phone?"

"Purse," she tells him, tilting her head to indicate the front hallway, "on the table there. Front pocket."

A brief look of surprise crosses Klaus' face, and Caroline supposed the fact that she was cool with him going into her bag was kind of new territory. He nods and she's grateful for the lack of commentary. His expression returns to its business like setting and he's out of his seat again.

"I'll do my best to keep it short," he tells her, before his lips twist wryly. "It is, of course, entirely possible that Rebekah will attempt to wrangle a promise or two from me in return for all that she's doing. The negotiations might take a bit."

Caroline rolls her eyes, " _Or_ ," she says pointedly, "You could maybe be nice and recognize that your sister's trying to help you with a pain in the ass situation of your own making and be gracious about it?"

That only gets another sound of amusement from Klaus, "I likely _could_ but that's not really how we operate."

Part of her wants to argue but she's not exactly an expert in healthy sibling relationships. Elena and Jeremy were her best example but who knows how screwed up and twisted they might have gotten if they were both immortal? Damon and Stefan certainly had buckets upon buckets of issues. She shuddered to think about how much worse they could get in another few centuries – especially if the turning human plan didn't pan out and they came across another doppelganger somewhere down the line.

Caroline quickly pushes _that_ thought away (because she had more than enough on her plate without contemplating hypothetical future disasters involving the Salvatores screwing up another human girl's life) and adopts a breezy tone, "Then you do you, I guess. Enjoy your dysfunction. If you take too long I'm totally drinking your share of the hot chocolate. And the booze."

She feels him walk behind her, the heat of him as he pauses at her back. She stills, wishing she'd maybe put on a robe. She's not wearing a bra and the thin cotton of her tank conceals _nothing_. Caroline half expects him to touch her, maybe lay a hand on her hip, and her pulse quickens in anticipation. God, the way he affected her just wasn't fair. She's almost about to lean back, initiate contact herself but she doesn't get the chance. Klaus merely lingers for a moment, close enough that she can feel his exhalations on her neck, before murmuring, "Well, I obviously don't want that," before retreating.

Caroline relaxes slightly, forces herself not to turn and watch him go. She tells herself there's no reason to feel disappointed.

It's not like Klaus is going anywhere right now.

* * *

Surprisingly, he doesn't lock himself away in her room when he speaks to Rebekah. Her apartment's small enough that it wouldn't give him true privacy (though she's sure he could lapse into some long dead language that she'd have no hope of following if he'd really wanted to) but Caroline had assumed he'd want the pretense of it, that his paranoid and controlling nature would lead him to wanting to be the one with the most information. She's touched, and pleased, with the small act of trust even if she knows it's probably only offered out of necessity and expedience.

Klaus' options, as evidenced by the fact that he was here in the first place, were limited.

He paces her living room while he talks circling through a dizzying array of emotions. He is at turns teasing and cajoling, exasperated and defiant, even vaguely threatening a time or two. From what Caroline can hear Rebekah gives as good as she's getting, her tone growing snide and sassy insults flowing freely.

She didn't like the Rebekah, _at all_ , but Caroline could grudgingly admire her style. As long as Rebekah was nowhere in the vicinity to get wind of it.

Eventually Rebekah _does_ manage to pull a few concessions from Klaus (such as the agreement that all love interests are given immunity from death and torture for an entire century – any time spent daggered _not_ included – unless Klaus could prove they were doing something untoward beforehand and Rebekah then got to participate in said torture) and she seems _very_ satisfied with them

Honestly, Caroline kind of marveled at the next level crazy.

Once they'd reached an accord Rebekah succinctly summed up what each of the siblings were up to. Kol had apparently come across a promising grimoire and had loyal witches looking into it. Klaus, of course, demanded photographs of the pertinent pages to be sent his way and Caroline had rattled off her email address while mentally patting herself on the back for the extra ink cartridges she always had on hand.

Score another couple points for forethought and preparedness!

All in all the conversation takes scarcely more than a half an hour. Caroline's on her second cup of hot chocolate, feet tucked under her at her dining room table, when Klaus joins her once again, having helped himself to the doctored up cocoa. He sets the phone in front of her. "I'll leave this in your keeping once more, sweetheart."

"Since you'll lack opposable thumbs soon enough."

A dark look of anger crosses Klaus' face at the reminder, his long fingers tightening on his cup. She can see yellow beginning to bleed into his irises the blue receding as his wolf asserts itself.

Caroline rushes to change the subject. She's aware that she's not sure how this whole thing really works, for all she knows the spell's extra tricky, the witch who cast it seemed devious enough to toss in a few curveballs, and Klaus could very well change back randomly and leave her trying to figure out his wants and needs and nefarious plans with only gestures and the verbalizations he could manage as a wolf pup to go on. "Okay, so things are going smooth-ish in New Orleans, that's good, right?"

He calms somewhat, easing back in his chair. He nods in agreement, features shifting to calculation. "It is. I'm pleased that no one seems to have noted my absence, and that no one seems the wiser about this accursed spell. I can only hope it stays that way."

"Yeah, I'm totally down with going about this quietly. Not having people trying to kill me to get to you is awesome."

He looks apologetic, not something she's used to seeing from Klaus. "I cannot guarantee that things won't change, that an enemy won't somehow get an inkling about what's happening, but you must know…"

She offers him a smile, understanding what he's trying to say. She's not stupid, she knew the risks when she said yes to helping Klaus out. "That pain and death and all sorts of stomach turning nastiness awaits anyone who comes at me? I kind of figured. I am not into violence for fun or profit but I'm not opposed to it when someone's coming after me and mine. And right now you're on that list so I get it."

The curl of Klaus' lips, the lightness of his eyes, tells Caroline that he's ever so pleased with her proclamation. "Just now?" he presses, managing to inject a wealth of knowing and smugness in two little words.

"Shut up," Caroline grouses. "I'm so not going to stroke your ego. We're friends. I have no idea how the hell it happened considering you're _such_ an ass but whatever. I'm not the kind of girl that gives up on people so I guess I'm stuck with you. Do not make me regret it."

He makes a sad attempt at seeming somber but the glee in his gaze is unmistakable. "I shall endeavor not to. Now, let's get on to your… what was it? Power planning. Then we can grab a couple hours of sleep."

Caroline snorts, "Yeah, I wouldn't plan on getting much rest. My couch sucks. But you can sleep in the car tomorrow so I refuse to feel guilty for being a crap hostess."

Klaus lets out a low hum, reaching across the table to pull one of her notebooks his way, "Afraid to have me in your bed? Noted."

Caroline sputters, her denial comes out a touch too heated, "I'm not _afraid_."

He turns pages calmly, eyes scanning her scribbled thoughts, "Nothing to be ashamed of, sweetheart. I don't blame you for being unable to resist me."

"Oh my god," Caroline groans. "Clearly I made the right call about the ego stroking."

His chuckle is genuinely amused, "At least I have a firm answer to my earlier question."

Caroline feels her face warm and she ducks her head in a futile attempt at hiding her blush. So much for her grand plans to refuse to admit that she thought of him. Would it really have killed him to have let that go? Ugh.

She makes a low noise of irritation, "You know, I must have been insane for actually _wanting_ you to be able to talk again. You remain completely annoying."

Klaus grins and leans forward, "Missed the sound of my voice, did you? If your intentions are _not_ to flatter me, Caroline, you're doing a terrible job."

Of course he'd only hear what he wanted to hear.

He's watching her eagerly, and she knows he's baiting her. It's his style, his weird (inappropriately timed!) way of flirting, and she _always_ falls for it. Caroline narrows her eyes at him in warning, and resolves to get them back on task.

If Klaus knows what's good for him he'll follow her lead, help her brainstorm. She said she wouldn't take pictures of him as a tiny werewolf but she'd never said anything about not catching him in his current, completely ridiculous and unintimidating, ensemble.

She even had Kol's contact info now since he was supposed to be emailing her. Caroline didn't know Klaus' younger brother well but something told her he'd _love_ to get his hands on such a photo.


End file.
